Baby Brother
by HisokaYukiko
Summary: Ed and Al didn't actually start out as close as they are now. When Al was born, Ed envied him for stealing his parents' attention. But when danger invades his life, he would soon learn what being a big brother is all about. Oneshot.


Don't say Rugrats Movie. Just read the Author's Note at the end of the fic, okay?

Most of this fic is based on a two-year-old's logic. Yippers!

Oh yeah, and two-year-old talk. Like putting 'W' instead of 'R' because two-year-olds usually can't pronounce the 'R' sound.

---

Baby Brother

RISEMBOOL HOSPITAL

2:46 P.M.

One-and-a-half-year-old Edward Elric sighed bitterly. He was sitting on the floor in a room, in a small building that was completely alien to him. The room was pleasant, though. There was a plush red carpet and colorful pictures and decorations covering the wall. A few sofas and chairs lined two of the walls, and the room had various toys and games scattered on the floor.

His best friend, Winry Rockbell was making a tower out of the building block in the corner. Winry's parents were sitting in one of the sofas, each with a magazine at hand. Strangely, they didn't pay any attention to their reads, but were quietly discussing something. Ed recognized their tones as 'grown-up talk'. Their conversation was too complicated for him to understand, but the name Trisha kept popping up. He recognized it as his mommy's name.

They had been here for over an hour, and Edward was worried and confused. Earlier that day... No, it all started a lot longer ago than that. Months ago, he noticed something strange happening to his mommy.

Her stomache had slowly, over the course of time, grown very huge. His daddy told him that soon, he would have a little brother or sister. He wondered where she would get the brother or sister. Maybe the hospital sells babies. Maybe they had gone here to buy the little sibling. But what did it have to do with her big stomache? Maybe she already ate the baby!

These thoughts had clouded his mind for weeks, until one day, something even more unusual happened...

It was earlier on this very day. The Rockbells came over as usual. He and Winry were playing with his toys when, all of a sudden, his mommy suddenly fell over and started to moan. His daddy rushed over to her quickly. She said to him, "It's time," and he gasped.

Ed didn't understand what was so shocking about those words. The next thing he knew, he and Winry were taken by her parents and they all rushed over to a strange building, the one he was in now. His mommy and daddy were gone. He didn't know where they went.

He suddenly felt a light tug on his shirt, jerking him out of his thoughts. Winry was staring at him, a confused expression on her face. "What's wong?" She questioned.

"I don't know whe' my pawents awe... I'm scawed." He admitted. "I think my mommy's sick..."

Winry looked down at the toy train in her hand. She held it out to Ed, hoping he'd take it and play with her and stop worrying. Ed just looked away. Winry shrunk back from him.

Just then, they were all startled by the slam of the door. Ed's daddy came rushing in, panting and out of breath. Winry's parents stood up and rushed to him. "What happened? Is the baby...?" Winry's mom let the words hang, waiting for a response.

The man sucked in a breath and gasped out, "It's a boy!"

Winry's parents suddenly burst into cheers and laughter. Ed and Winry stared at them in confusion. That's when his daddy came up to him and smiled down at him. He strained his neck to look up at the towering man, and smiled back at him, hoping this meant that mommy was okay.

His daddy picked him up and swung him in the air. He squealed in excitement. "Guess what, Edward?"

Ed blinked in confusion. "You're little brother is here!"

Ed blinked again, wondering if he was supposed to cheer or not.

The man laughed at his dumbfounded expression. He frowned in annoyance. "It's alright, you'll see in a minute." He took Ed into another room.

It was one of those scary doctor places! Ed squirmed in his daddy's arms, in attempt to escape, but ceased his struggles when he noticed his mommy. She was lying in a bed. Her stomache was considerably smaller.

She had a small bundle in a blanket in her arms and was smiling down on it affectionatley.

All of a sudden, the bundle jumped to life in her arms, thrashing around, it began to cry loudly. Ed screamed in response, and buried his face into his daddy's chest. It was a monster!

The man laughed and peeled Ed away from his now crinkled shirt. "It's alright! He won't hurt you!" He placed Ed down next to Trisha on the bed.

The woman looked down at the bundle and back at Ed, smiling widely the whole time. She said, "Edward, I'd like you to meet your new brother, Alphonse." She pulled back the blanket and revealed what was inside.

It stopped crying and thrashing to look at Ed. It was... it was...

What was it? Ed had no idea. It was so tiny! He'd never seen anything like it. It was chubby and had huge grey eyes. And it was completely bald! It didn't even look human!

Ed reached over to touch the baby. Shockingly, the baby reached it's tiny hand out as well. Their hands touched. They stayed that way for a minute, when the baby suddenly screamed. Ed screamed in response.

Their screaming match was cut short when Ed pulled himself up and toddled across the bed to his daddy. He jumped on him and buried himself into his shirt once more. Anything to get away from that _thing_!

"Don't worry, Trisha. I'm sure they'll grown on eachother eventually." He heard his daddy say.

"I hope you're right..." He didn't care about whatever his parents were talking about. All he wanted was to get rid of that _thing_ that continued to shriek in his ears.

---

ELRIC'S RESIDENCE

5:54 P.M.

As soon as they got home, Winry was jumping and twirling around. "You have a bwuder! Bwuder, bwuder, bwuder, bwuder!" She giggled.

Ed growled at her. She didn't understand! That _thing_ couldn't be his brother! It was evil!

Winry stopped dancing around and stared at Ed, who was just standing there, staring at the floor, his face twisted into a frown. "Awen't you happy?"

"No."

Ed's blunt answer slightly startled Winry, before she shook it off and asked, "Why not?"

"It's not a bwuder. It's a evil bad ting! It scweams and it's cweepy and it's gwoss!" Ed exclaimed.

"Weally?" Ed nodded fiercely.

"Lets see what's happening!" They snuck around to the kitchen, where all four parents were with the baby.

They peeked through the doorway. Their parents were huddled around the baby as it cooed and giggled. They 'aww'ed and laughed.

"See? I told you it's evil!" Ed whispered. Winry nodded in solemn agreement.

---

EDWARD'S ROOM

8:30 P.M.

That night, after Winry and her parents had left, Ed was lying in his bed, quite miserable. His daddy hadn't even come to say goodnight! Every night, for as long as he could remember, his daddy always came to tuck him in and kiss him goodnight. Every night.

Ed whimpered and strangled his stuffed kitty, whom he had named Waffles.

He felt lonely and unimportant. He wanted to see his parents. He climbed down from the bed and, clutching Waffles protectively, began his descent to the baby's room.

He stopped outside the ajared door, and listened to the noises from inside.

His mommy was singing a sweet lullaby. He was drawn to her voice, and peeked inside. She was rocking the abomination in her arms. He wished, more than anything, that he was the one in her arms. That he was the one she was singing to.

Ed felt sick. His parents were paying so much attention to the baby, they probably didn't know he existed.

"I love you sooo much, Alphonse."

Edward gasped. His eyes brimmed with tears, threatening to spill. They loved that _thing_. They didn't care about him anymore. It was stealing his parents!

He listened as his parents continued to speak words of affection to the baby. He cried silently, while clutching his now soaking wet stuffed cat.

Soon he headed back to his room and climbed under the covers. He eventually cried himself to sleep.

---

ELRIC HOUSEHOLD

ONE YEAR LATER

The past three months had been rain. Only rain. The village of Risenbool wasn't suited for rain this heavy. Many of the farmers had their crops drowning and their livestock was in danger as well. But two-year-old Edward Elric didn't care. He would sit on of the windowsill in the living room, clutching Waffles, and stare out the window, almost in a trance.

He would do this when his parents were too busy with _Alphonse_, the now one-year-old baby.

Winry and Waffles were the only ones who still paid attention to him. Waffles was a _toy_ and Winry was beginning to get just as grouchy, complaining that he never wanted to play with her anymore.

One evening, things were basically just the same. The Rockbells were over again, Winry was playing by herself. His parents were playing with _Alphonse_. The only difference today was that there was a huge thunder and lightning storm outside. He was entranced by the bolts of lightning flying from all directions.

Suddenly, his and Winry's parents got up. His mommy put the baby into the baby basket that sat at the foot of the livingroom couch. All four of them started to leave to the kitchen.

"Whe' you going?" Winry cried. There was a loud clap of thunder from the storm outside.

"Don't worry. We just need to have a grown-up talk." Winry's daddy said. Winry accepted this and continued playing. They all left.

Ed was shocked. This was the very first time that they had ever left Alphonse alone with him! Now he could exact his revenge for stealing his parents!

He climbed down from the window sill and walked over to the baby basket. He stood infront of it, glaring daggers at the Alphonse. Winry looked up from her toys and toddled over to where Edward was. Another clap of thunder sounded from outside.

That _thing_ was giggling and waving it's arms twords Ed. That _evil thing _was trying to eat him! "See? It's a evil baby!" He said to Winry.

"It's scawy..." Winry whimpered. "I munna see want da gwown-ups awe doing..." She ran twords the kitchen. Once again, the thunder sounded outside.

Ed glared at the baby again. Now it was just him and Alphonse. Face to face. And he wasn't gonna back down from this challenge. A sudden bolt of lighting shone through the windows for a moment, illuminating the scene between the two 'brothers'. Edward subconciously tightened his grip on Waffles.

That's when the baby did the unspeakable.

He reached over, grabbed Waffle's leg, and started pulling. Ed growled and pulled back. That _thing_ had stolen his mommy and daddy. Now it wanted to steal his kitty! No! He would never!

Their tug-of-war match continued until they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. "Eddie! Eddie!" Winry squealed. "I hea'd you mommy and daddy! Dey wewe tawling about you! Dey wewe wowwied dat you wewe sad! Dey cawe about chu-uh!" She tripped and fell on her face. Another clap of thunder sounded, followed by the lights flickering on and off.

She immediatley pulled hersef up into a sitting position. Ed glared at her. "You lying, Winwy! Dey don't cawe about me anymowe!"

Winry whimpered. "Yes dey do..." She burst into tears and ran back twords the kitchen. The adults were already emerging from the kitchen. Winry ran to them and wrapped her arms around her mommy's leg. A clap of thunder and and the room lit up for a split second, from the lighting. There was no time space between the thunder and lighting.

Winry's mommy picked her up while she sobbed lightly. "Why is she crying?" All four adults were wondering about Winry's sudden behavior.

They couldn't possibly have noticed that the storm had arrived.

There was another clap of thunder and flash of lighting and all of a sudden, the window and the wall around it exploded. There were screams. Ed shut his eyes, curled into a ball on the floor, and squeezed his stuffed cat as tight as he could. There were so many loud noises coming from all around him! He felt small pieces of rubble and glass shards hit him, but he ignored it.

A minute later, when the noise stopped, he half-opened one eye. He then opened his eyes fully. There was rubble all around him. It was dark. Where was he? Was he still in his house? Where was Winry? Where were his parents?

He whimpered, tears forming in his eyes. He was buried alive. Buried under a pile of rubble that obviously used to be part of his house.

All of a sudden, he heard crying. He walked around a part of the rubble. It was like a tunnel!

He finally saw the source of the crying. It was Alphonse. He was still in his basket. When Alphonse saw Ed, the volume of his crying lowered and he reached for Ed. Ed grumbled under his breath and turned to walk away. _Let him die_, he thought. _I'll find a way out of here by myself. Then I won't ever have to suffer because of him again._

The baby squealed again. Ed turned his head around. Tiny, stubby arms were stretched out twords him. A look of despair crossed the baby's face. Almost as if he was begging for Ed not to leave him to die.

Ed blinked. He looked at the floor. Then he looked at the ceiling.

_Alphonse..._

He ran back to the basket. The baby squealed when he saw him coming back. "Okay, okay." He mumbled. "You can come." He put Waffles on the floor and wrapped his arms around the baby, and with great effort, pulled him up and out of the basket and, not so gently, set him on the floor. Alphonse whimpered a bit at the tremor.

Edward studied the situation before him. How would he move Al? The annoying baby couldn't even crawl yet. And he, himself couldn't possibly hope to carry him.

As if a lightbulb turned on over his head, he pulled the little red blanket out of the basket and laid it out on the floor. He wrapped his arms around the baby, underneath his armpits, and clumsily pulled him out of ther basket and. He pulled Alphonse onto the blanket. He sat down for a fewminutes to catch his breath. The dumb baby was _heavy_! He pulled himself up, then picked up Waffles, put the stuffed animal's ear in his mouth, picked up the edge of the blanket, and started pulling on it. He managed to pull Alphonse down the 'tunnel'.

Eventually, they came to a dead end. Ed groaned and let go of the blanket and Waffles' ear, to push on the wall of rubble. Eventually, a fat piece of concrete broke away from the wall of rubble and landed near Ed's feet, startling him, and making him jump in the air.

Alphonse let out a giddy laugh. Ed grumbled and sent him a glare. But then he saw the giggling face of that baby and he had to smile.

He bent his knees and reached out a hand to pat Alphonse on the head. Maybe this baby wasn't so bad...

He sat down on the blanket and put Waffles on his lap. He couldn't think of any way to get out. Daddy would find a way to save him. He was sure of it.

He heard his stomache growl. He was _hungry_. When did he last eat?

He then heard a soft moan come from Alphonse. He looked at the baby's face, twisted into a look of discomfort. Was he hungry too?

No, he looked sad.

He then exploded into a screaming and crying fest.

Edward groaned inwardly. Why did he decide to bring this annoying thing with him? He guessed it's because Alphonse was a person too and he just couldn't stand leaving him to fend for himself. Or maybe it's because his mommy and daddy loved the baby so much, they would be very sad to lose him. He didn't want to make his parents sad.

He put Waffles to the side, crawled over to sit right next to the baby, wrapped his arms around him, and pulled him onto his lap. "Don't cwy, okay? We'll be safe." He stroked the baby's soft sandy-colored hair. Alphonse's crying ceased and he snuggled into Ed's shirt. Ed smiled.

"I guess you' not weally evil..." He admitted. "I'm sowee fow hating you and calling you a monste'... You weally nice, Al."

Al... Ed and Al. Ed and Al, brothers. The Elric brothers, Ed and Al... It had a sort of ring to it. Maybe they really could be brothers.

Yes, they could. Now he realized what it meant to be a big brother. It meant that he would protect Al. That he could _share_ his parents.

And maybe he could even share...

"Al?" Ed nudged his little brother. The baby looked up at him with an inquisitive look. He took a deep breath and picked up his stuffed cat, whom he had for as long as he could remember. He handed it to Al. "This is Waffles, wittle bwuder. He's you's now."

Al hugged the cat as best he could with his chubby little arms and beamed up at Ed. Ed hugged him.

"A baby bwuder..." Ed mumbled to himself.

They stayed that way for a while, in calm silence. Ed was almost begining to fall asleep, when a noise jerked him from his haze.

"Eh... eh, eh..." It was Al.

"I know, I'm hungwy too..." Ed replied.

But that was not what Al was trying to say.

"Eh... ehhh..."

"What is it, Al?"

"Eh..." Al's face scrunched up in frustration as he tried to make the right sounds. "Duh... duh... Ehh... duh... Ehh-duh!"

Edward's eyes widened in realization.

"Ehh... duh! Ehh-duh! Eh-duh! Eh-duh! Eh-duh!"

He almost fell over. "AL, YOU SAID MY NAME! YOU SAID MY NAME!" He hugged his brother.

Al squealed happily. "Eh-duh! Eh-duh! Eh-duh!"

Their celebration was cut short by an odd sound coming from beneath them. It was a sort of whooshing sound. Ed immediatley recognized it. It was the sound he heard whenever his daddy was doing... What was the word? Alchemy? That was it. His daddy always clapped his hands and made amazing things appear. Ed had always wanted to do it.

This was it! It was his daddy, here to save them! He knew it! All of a sudden, a spot on the floor near them light up in a bright blue glow, making them shut their eyes. When the light died down, they looked again.

In place, there was a perfectly dug hole in the ground.

That's when his daddy popped his head out of the hole.

Ed squealed. "Daddy!" He completely forgot about Alphonse in his rush. He ran twords his daddy's outstretched arms. But before he could be pulled into a hug, he skidded to a halt and turned back around, leaving the man with a confused look on his face.

He grabbed the end of the blanket, and with all his might, dragged his little brother back to his daddy.

Hohenheim pulled both of them into his arms. "Edward... I'm so glad you've finally become close to you little brother."

"Al can say my name!"

"Excuse me?" The man looked at the two boys in his arms, not believing what Ed had just blurted out.

"He can say my name! Say it, Al. Say Ed!"

"Eh-duh!" Al screeched, extatically.

"Yaaay!" Ed pulled Al into another hug.

---

OUTSIDE THE ELRIC'S HOUSE

9:00 P.M.

"My little Alphonse said his first word!" Trisha cooed, as she held said baby in her arms.

Ed stood next to a tree, surveying the damage. Nearly half the house was caved in, now a giant pile of rubble. And to think, he had been trapped _inside_ that giant pile only minutes before.

Nearly everyone in Risembool had gathered outside after the lighting bolt first struck his house. They had all been watching as Hohenheim took his time rescuing them, afraid that rushing would make the space inside cave in, ultimately killing them.

Now they were safe outside, Ed and Al had developed a brotherly bond, and his parents were _still_ paying more attention to Al than him.

"I can't believe he said his first word already! Edward and Winry both said their first words when they were about a year and a half. But Alphonse is five months early. This is so wonderful!"

"Let's not forget, Winry's first word was 'wench' and Edward's first word was 'potty'. Alphonse's first word actually has significance."

Ed sighed and looked back at his house. So much had happened in less than two hours.

"I'm so glad they're safe. I was so worried!

"... And Edward!"

Ed looked up at the mention of his name. His mommy suddenly scooped him up into her free arm. "You are the bravest young man I've ever known! You kept your little brother safe, didn't you? I'm so proud!"

Ed grinned widely.

"You are a wonderful older brother."

"I am! I am, I am, I am!" Everyone laughed at his response, and all previous worries were extinguished.

That really was what being an older brother was all about.

He would be with Al forever.

They would be there for eachother when their father walked out on them, when they first started learning alchemy, when their mother died, when they tried to bring her back and failed, when they searched for the philosophers stone, and when they finally got their bodies back.

But that would all happen in the future. Not now.

When his mommy finally put him down, he rushed over to Winry. "Hey, Winwy! I changed my mind."

"Huh? Whadya mean?" Winry asked.

"I like Al. He's not evil, He's my wittle bwuder!"

---

TWELVE AND A HALF YEARS LATER

EASTERN CENTRAL

The sound of mocking laughter echoed through the military dorms. It came from the Elric's dorm.

Alphonse rushed into the bedroom. "Brother, what's going on?"

Ed finally managed to calm himself down till he was snickering in amusement. "Al... I can't believe you!" He burst into laughter again.

"What did I do?"

After calming himself down again, Ed held up an object.

Al gasped in horror at what Ed was holding. "How did you find it?" He demanded.

"Jeez, Al. You can't hide anything from me forever. I'll always find it eventually." Ed looked back at said object in his hand, and grinned, trying to contain another laugh. "But seriously, a _stuffed cat_?"

Al frowned. "I... Don't laugh! I've had it for as long as I can remember. I just couldn't let it go."

"Al, every childhood toy has to be forgotten at some point. Throw it away!"

"NO!" Al exclaimed. "I've never parted with it my entire life. Even when I didn't have my body, I always kept it safe inside my armor."

"Why?" Ed asked, in a rude tone.

"Well... I don't know... It's just very important to me. It's... Well... I call it Waffles..." Al mumbled under his breath.

"Did I just hear you right? You call it _Waffles_? What are you, three-years-old?" Ed laughed.

Al frowned. "I knew _you_ wouldn't understand." Ed stopped laughing. "It's important to me because... Well, it just feels like it came from someone. Like it was given to me by someone special, I don't know...

"I... I'm going to cook dinner." He grabbed Waffles and rushed out of the room.

Ed sighed and flopped down on the bed, his arms stretched out behind his head.

A stuffed cat named Waffles. Sometimes he wondered how old Al _really_ was.

Given to him by someone special... Who could that possibly be?

And all of a sudden, a long forgotten memory flashed through his mind.

_"This is Waffles, wittle bwuder. He's you's now."_

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Finally, he reopened them and looked twords the kitchen, where his brother was busily cooking dinner.

"It was..." He started to whisper, but he stopped himself before finishing that sentence. "Naw. I wouldn't know..."

END.

---

The entire story here is written by and completely made up by me, HisokaYukiko, and any names or likeness to other books/movies/shows/games is completely coincidental and in no way stolen or copied.

No seriously, I swear I wasn't trying to copy the Rugrats movie! I didn't realize it was so similar until it was too late to rewrite the fic!

So anyways, I've had this all written out for a long time. I just didn't know it if was worthy enough for FanFiction Net. But then I thought, "What the heck? There's a lot of crappy stories on here anyways." so I posted it.

Ah, well. REVIEW PLEASE!


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